Become A Volunteer

• Animal care: cleaning and feeding of animals at the centre.
• Setting up pens and cages for new admissions
• Restocking food supplies for all areas of the hospital and advising of any shortages
• Helping to move animals from one area to another as they progress with their rehabilitation
• Being available to help veterinary staff with jobs
• General maintenance of the centre – tidying, cleaning, painting, weeding etc

Choose ‘General Assistant’ from the drop down list on the application form and we’ll invite you in for an induction.

Based on the busy hospital reception desk, this public-facing role will involve:

• Booking in patients at the busy reception desk
• Taking incoming telephone calls and giving advice to the general public
• Organising rescues for injured wildlife that need to be attended to at the scene
• Entering all admissions onto our database (full training given)
• Encouraging donations and memberships from the public bringing in animals to us
• General running of a very busy reception desk and administrative support to the main admin. office

Full training will be given; however applicants should have a good standard of literacy & numeracy, and should be able to demonstrate good customer service skills. Attention to detail is very important, and any previous customer service or reception experience would be ideal but not essential.

Choose ‘Reception’ from the drop down list on the application form and we’ll invite you in for an induction.

A morning/afternoon or full day shift, available 7 days a week, this role is less hands-on with the animals and focuses more on keeping the centre running. From re-filling and ordering food supplies to cleaning out cages or fixing a broken perch, this role is for a practical, physically fit person.  You will still have the opportunity to get involved with the animals if you like; there are always times when we are short-staffed and you can help out!  We often need animals released back to the wild, so if you have a clean driving license you can assist with one of the best bits – releases!

Choose ‘Centre Maintenance’ from the drop down list on the application form and we’ll invite you in for an induction.

Wild Work!

Are you a qualified Veterinary Nurse or Veterinary Surgeon who would like the opportunity of working on the wild side of the veterinary world?

We are offering a unique learning experience for those keen to get to grips with the treatment of wildlife, from its initial assessment to rehabilitation.

The Wildlife Aid Foundation, home of TV’s ‘Wildlife SOS’, is very pleased to be able to offer voluntary work placements to vets and vet nurses for short or long periods of time. This can be a regular commitment – hopefully, at least once a week, long term, or just one or two week’s work experience in our busy hospital for you to gain experience working alongside our current veterinary team. This is a very rewarding position and a great opportunity to gain experience with British Wildlife. You will receive full training from our Vet team with a wide variety of wild species, giving you hands-on experience in how to triage, treat and rehab wild animals.

If you are interested, then please do send a letter with a copy of your CV to naomi@wildlifeaid.org.uk and we will provide you with more information.

Schools and colleges around the country send students to The Wildlife Aid Foundation every year, and students find the hands on experience of working with our patients very useful as an accompaniment to their studies.

All arrangements and communications regarding placements must be arranged by the attending student.

The Wildlife Aid Foundation offers Work Experience placements between March and October.  Applications for 2021 open in November 2020.

Students will become involved in the day to day running of the hospital, with the cleaning and feeding that accompanies the ongoing animal care and welfare that we offer.

Please note: our placements consist of 5 days work experience over a 7 day period, with students working at the weekend as the hospital is open 7 days a week.  The weekend days will be advised to you in plenty of time and will be at the end of your placement week, i.e. all weeks start on a Monday, and will finish on a Sunday, with two days off during that period.  We are unable to change rotas once they have been confirmed. Your usual hours will be from 9am – 5pm, with an hour for lunch. 

Please note that we ask for a payment of £30 for each week to cover our admin and insurance costs and all students must be over the age of 16 when they start their placement. Sorry, but we are unable to assist with accommodation for students.

Any questions? Please email: helen@wildlifeaid.org.uk

Unfortunately, due to time and resource constraints, we are unable to take volunteers as part of the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

As a charity we are continually looking for new ways to generate funds to keep the centre running. These roles would generally be home-based, attending events when necessary, so if this is your area of expertise, please email fundraising@wildlifeaid.org.uk directly.

Are you confident talking in front of a group of people? Once you have some experience here, why not help us with our educational programme by giving talks on behalf of the Wildlife Aid Foundation? We receive many requests throughout the year from local schools and community organisations, who would like to know more about the work that we do. We have a fantastic PowerPoint presentation, which caters for all age groups. If this is something you would like to get involved with, please get in touch by emailing talks@wildlifeaid.org.uk

Looking for an internship in our hospital?

Currently we are only able to offer voluntary internships to qualified Veterinary Nurses or Veterinary Surgeons. If suitably qualified, please click here for further information and contact details. Please note, this internship is a voluntary position and not paid.

If your qualification is not in this field then regretfully we cannot offer you an internship at The Wildlife Aid Foundation at the current time.

However, please consider becoming a regular volunteer, as you will get plenty of hands-on experience in dealing with day-to-day animal care and feeding regimes.

University students needing professional placements: we offer an all-round placement for the academic year, encompassing all areas of animal care with the opportunity to spend some time with the vet team.  There is also the option to gain experience in reception & admin, marketing and fundraising, and all aspects of running a wildlife charity.  Hours to suit; generally 5 days a week, including some weekends, although more available if needed! Please note this is an unpaid role.

To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter, explaining why a placement at WAF would benefit your studies to alice@wildlifeaid.org.uk for more details.